(Recasts with oil auction comments)
MEXICO CITY, July 21 (Reuters) - Mexican conglomerate Alfa
said on Tuesday it was still interested in participating in the
country's oil auctions after it dropped a joint bid for Canada's
Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp . earlier this month.
"We're still very interested in participating in the energy
business in Mexico," Chief Financial Officer Ramon Leal said on
a second-quarter earnings call. "It's likely that we'll have to
do it with someone and we're looking at whom."
Company spokesman Enrique Flores said the company was
interested in participating in the second and third phases of
the country's so-called Round One of the auctions, which will
cover shallow water blocks and onshore blocks, respectively.
Alfa, which owns around 19 percent of Pacific Rubiales
PRE.TO , dropped its C$2 billion ($1.54 billion) joint offer
for the company with Harbour Energy.
The first phase of Mexico's historic opening of its oil
sector got off to a disappointing start earlier this month as
the government auctioned off just two of 14 blocks. The next
group of fields will be auctioned in September.
Alfa, which controls petrochemical, car parts and food
businesses, said its second-quarter net profit rose nearly 47
percent to 2.81 billion pesos ($179 million), mostly due to the
inclusion of meat company Campofrio in its results.
Revenue excluding Campofrio fell 8 percent, mainly because
of a fall in petrochemicals prices at its Alpek unit, reflecting
the global slump in oil prices.
($1 = 15.6950 pesos at end of June)
($1 = 1.2945 Canadian dollars)